Surgery For Hair Loss In Men

Research into hair loss and replacement is an ongoing practice, and because of this there are many different approaches now developed in order to save one from losing hair. For those who have lost hair, there are now even methods of regaining all that one has lost. This directly refers to hair surgery that is in complete contrast to the idea of drugs used to bring back one's hair growth.

More appropriately, the means suggested for developing a new growth of hair is called surgical hair replacement. This means that one may have hair surgically planted on one's head permanently.

Those who are typical candidates for surgical hair transplantation include;

1. People with male baldness or patterns of this kind
2. Individuals with thinning hair
3. People who have lost hair due to accidents such as severe injuries on the scalp or any other part of the body where hair grows.

Considering the types of case3s that may be considered for surgical hair replacement, there are also different types of surgeries as well.

The following is a list of the types of surgical hair replacement methods:

1. punch grafts – consist of around 10-15 hairs
2. mini-grafts - consist of around 2 to 4 hairs
3. micro-grafts - consist of around 1 to 2 hairs
4. slit grafts - consist of around 4 to10 hairs each
5. strip grafts - consist of around 30-40 hairs

In view of these methods, it must be asserted that one is not restricted to using only one of the methods that are employed; a combination of two may be used in order top achieve a desired result.

It must be noted further that hair replacement surgery is a delicate process and one needs to be aware of the risks that also lie in undergoing such surgery. In considering this, it must be said that individuals vary greatly in terms of their reactions as well as the way that their bodies heal. This is the reason why it is difficult to determine what the result of a surgical hair replacement procedure may be.

The complications that could possibly arise include the following:

1. Infections of the scalp
2. Increased bleeding that is difficult to limit
3. Surgical scars (stretch-back)
4. Particular grafts may not be able to cope with bumps at the transplant sites
   It is also possible for patches to occur after surgery, in which case additional surgery may be required

Hair replacement surgery is commonly carried out using local anesthesia coupled with sedation. This allows a patient to be more relaxed. The alternative is general anesthesia that may be used for more complex cases of surgery.

The following are some of the methods of surgical hair replacement:

Hair Replacement

This method is employed by conducting the surgery in sessions in order to achieve satisfactory results. Healing periods are allowed, and it must be noted that this is an important part of the surgical replacement. If the interval is not sufficient then one may have problems with further surgery.

Several months are allowed as healing intervals in order to make sure that each part of the scalp has sufficient time to heal. As a result of the surgery and the lengthy healing intervals allowed it might take up to two years for a satisfactory result to be achieved. It can be noted that in the first session of replacement, the number of large plugs transplanted may vary significantly.

However, the average is around 50. Micro-grafts per session number about 700.

Tissue Expansion

This is another method that makes use of live growing cells or tissue in order to cover up bald areas of the scalp. It must be noted that hair begins to grow in the bald region by creating a surplus of cells from a healthy area of the scalp. The procedure includes insertion of a device under a healthy area of the scalp. This balloon-like device after being inserted under hair-bearing scalp is inflated with saline. This inflation takes place over as period of two weeks.

This leads to the skin bloating and growing newer cells. When this process has seen the skin stretch enough (a few weeks), the next step of the process is carried out. This next step generally includes shifting the newly grown cells of the scalp to an area that is bald. Hence, through this one may grow more hair. This is repeated as much as required until satisfactory results have been achieved.

Flap Surgery

This method also works according to a similar principle like the Tissue Expansion. However in this process, cells are not created through lengthy procedures. Instead, a portion of live healthy skin on the scalp is lifted up with one end still attached to the scalp.

It is then shifted in such a way that it is placed on an area where no hair grows. Before placing it down on the bald scalp, the dead skin from the bald part has to be removed. This part is done first before the healthy skin can replace it.

Sclap Reduction

This surgery is similar to Flap Reduction because it deals with placing healthy scalp over bald areas. In this process, healthy scalp is pulled back over the top and back parts of the head in order to cover bald parts. However, the result of this is that the frontline diminishes considerably.

It must be noted that after these surgical incisions have been carried out, they may not look complete. They may need touch-up jobs after they are done in order to give a finished look.